An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Poll results

So according to my first-ever poll, reheating pizza in the oven wins out by a narrow margin over cold pizza, 22-17. A handful of people nuke their pizza (3) and a couple reheat it in a pan on the stove.For what it's worth, my thoughts on the subject -Cold: can't beat it for ease, simplicity and quickness. And generally it is pretty good, but some pizzas are better cold than others. If the pizza has a lot of cheese, sometimes it congeals into a solid, unappetizing mass when it gets cold.Reheated in oven: not bad, but it takes a while and is not exactly energy efficient. Problem is, the best results would require the greatest energy usage. Ideally, you'd heat a pizza stone in your oven at 550 for at least 45 minutes, then throw the leftover pizza onto the stone for a couple of minutes. That's essentially what slice joints do when they rewarm a slice for you, and the result can actually be better (because it's crisper on the bottom) than when the pizza first came out of the oven.But that's a long time and a lot of energy for a slice or two of pizza. So most of us just put the pizza in as the oven is preheating to 350, or stick it in a toaster oven. It comes out OK, but never anywhere near as good as when it was freshly baked.Reheated in microwave: OK, I've done this (mostly when preparing lunch for my 6-year-old), but all in all, I'd prefer mine cold. Obvious advantage here is that it's the fastest way to reheat the pizza. But I'm big on texture, and it tends to make the crust soggy. My daughter has never complained, though.Reheated on stovetop: I came up with this idea on my own, but I've seen it suggested elsewhere. It gives you a nice crisp underside, and it's fairly quick. (Just make sure you use a nonstick pan.) The one flaw is that it's not too good for rewarming the toppings, though that can be helped by putting a lid on the pan. Or try a combination of microwaving the pizza just long enough to remelt the cheese, with the stovetop method, to crisp up the bottom.

2 comments:

I missed taking your poll, but my favorite way is to just leave the pizza in the box and on the table/counter (just not in fridge or really cold place) and have it at room temperature the next morning. I'm not sure how best to reheat it after the next morning as it normally doesn't last any longer in my house. GAW

I guess I'd put that under the "cold" category. With leftover pizza the issue often isn't so much the temperature as it is the drying out. That's why slices kept under a heat lamp (like the ones you see at convenience stores) aren't very good. The cheese turns hard and the water in the sauce evaporates. I think leftover pizza keeps a bit better in the fridge than at room temp, although that can dry out the crust.

Ratings Guide

A: great; one of the best this area has to offerB: pretty good; not top-notch, but definitely good, and better than averageC: OK; nothing special, but it’ll do; typical for our areaD: edible; if you’ve already paid for it, you might as well eat itF: downright bad; toss it and get something else